Scorpion points the way ahead in helicopter sights

Jun 20. 2016

Selected by Airbus Helicopters for its H-Force programme, Thales's Scorpion sight display has successfully completed a first round of flight tests, consolidating its position as the market's leading monocular helmet-mounted sight display for helicopters.

Fully compatible with standard night vision goggles, Scorpion is the only full-colour monocular helmet display on the market today to use Hybrid Optical-based Inertial Tracking (HoBiT) technology, and comes equipped with a unique display system that functions in daytime and night-time conditions.

“Having a single optical device for both day and night missions is something our customers really appreciate,” says Pascal Point, Business Development and Marketing Director for Helicopter Avionics at Thales. "And with its revolutionary inertial/optical tracker, Scorpion can be integrated easily, with no need to modify the helicopter."

The helicopter version of the Scorpion HMSD combines Thales’s knowledge of helmet-mounted displays for fighter aircraft (F16, F18, C130, CV10, A10) with its experience of the TopOwl HMSD for helicopters (Tiger, NH90, Cobra, Huey, Rooivalk). “Scorpion is particularly competitive because it brings real operational added value to the weapon system,” adds Pascal Point.

"The recent flight tests show that a high-precision weapon system was exactly the right choice," says Philippe Kohn, Military Missions Specialist at Airbus Helicopters. "Integration with Thales has been a very smooth process and the results of this initial live firing campaign, which tested all the unguided gun and rocket systems, confirmed that H-Force with its Scorpion interface performed with the precision and effectiveness we expected. With the Scorpion helmet-mounted sight display, the H-Force weapon system now has the capabilities of a modern combat helicopter."

Final qualification tests are scheduled for 2017. For Pascal Point, “the successful tests consolidate Scorpion's position as the leading monocular HMSD on the military helicopter market, complementing TopOwl which remains the number one for attack helicopters.”